First Nations Group

"I take pride in being able to Chair the First Nations Group on behalf of the Board, Founders and Gidget Foundation Australia team. The release of Gidget Foundation Australia’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) officially commits our vision for reconciliation not just in gestures and words, but in the very way we work and live. This Group is focussed on the opportunities for us to embed understanding and celebration of First Nations Peoples and culture in our organisation, build new partnerships and expand our connection at the personal, organisational and community levels."

Jarrod Bowditch, Chair of the Gidget Foundation Australia First Nations Group

First Nations Commitment

Gidget Foundation Australia acknowledges and pays respect to the First Nations People, the traditional custodians, past, present and emerging of the lands, seas and skies. Gidget Foundation Australia values diversity and is committed to providing an inclusive service for all people.

To mark our 20th anniversary since inception, Gidget Foundation Australia embarked on a cultural awareness program to ensure that every aspect of our organisation and our supportive treatment services are both diverse and inclusive in nature.

All of our Clinicians are encouraged to be culturally competent, and we have a regular Working Group dedicated to the advancement of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

In 2021 we commissioned renowned Aboriginal artist and proud Yuin woman, Rheanna Lotter, to create an adaptation of our imperfect gerbera logo. This artwork is representative of our organisation and is titled, We All Belong.

Artist, Rheanna Lotter presents Gidget Foundation
Australia CEO, Arabella Gibson with her gorgeous
artwork ‘We All Belong’.

First Nations Group Members

Arabella Gibson

Chief Executive Officer

Arabella joined Gidget Foundation Australia in early 2017 after a 20 year career in executive leadership roles in the media and communications industry in both Australia and the UK.

Deb Spanner

Accredited Mental Health Social Worker - Start Talking Telehealth

Deb Spanner is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, with 23 years experience in working across government and non-government mental health services, as well as private practice as a mental health clinician.

Dr Erin Seeto

Clinical Services Manager

Dr Erin Seeto is a Clinical Psychologist, based in Sydney, and has worked in various settings including hospitals, community, government, education, specialist services and private practice across the UK and Australia.

Fran Grant

Chair of Qantas Group Darmu and Customer Service Agent at Qantas Group

Fran Grant is a Yuin woman, and her Aboriginal family comes from the NSW South Coast.

Jami Walk

Clinical Nurse Specialist, North Northern Sydney Local Health District Aboriginal Health Service

Jami is a proud Wiradjuri woman born on Gaimariagal country. Jami has spent the last 10 years working in nursing across emergency, intensive care, general wards and community health.

Jarrod Bowditch

Non-Executive Director of the Board

Jarrod Bowditch was a Director of Verifact, a company established over 30 years ago, this business grew with a national presence delivering services in Corporate Investigations, Traffic Management, Health, Emergency Response and Integrated Services.

Lisa Sandrk

Advocacy, Policy and Engagement Manager

Lisa has over 15 years’ experience in communications and stakeholder engagement, and most recently was an key member of the NSW Mental Health Commission’s stakeholder engagement, communications and policy teams.